Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Can I just get clarification? Was that 466 employees, where 166 were aboriginal indigenous?

Madam Premier.

Mr. Chairman, I said 106 or 40.5 per cent total affirmative action employees. The total number of employees in positions is 260. Thank you.

Thank you. To the motion. Mrs. Marie-Jewell.

Just another point for clarification. Out of 260, 106 are aboriginal indigenous. That equates out to 40 per cent, but how many of those...I guess what I'd like to ask, subsequent to what my colleague is...How many of those are women in management positions?

Thank you. Madam Premier.

Mr. Chairman, the breakdown here is done is percentages, but if I provide the list of where everyone is, the Member can go through those. I don't have that broken down unless I could take them off the list. Thank you.

Thank you. To the motion.

Question.

Question has been called. All those in favour of the motion? Opposed? Motion is carried.

---Carried

Mr. Koe.

Thank you. The motion is in order. To the motion. Madam Premier.

I would like a clarification on this because, consistently, what we've been doing is if there is a person employed in the corporation long-term and in the plants where we can have a training program, we have been giving preference to that individual for promotion or on-going training, to bring them up to a certain degree so they can take over. We do not go to open competition when we have, for example, a person in Whale Cove, and we generally accelerate a training program. It is not in open competition. Are you suggesting that these people, when they're moving up a stage or there's a reclassification, that it go to open competition? Just for clarification.

Thank you. To the motion. Mr. Arvaluk.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. For the clarification, I'll use Pond Inlet as an example. There were two qualified operators that had worked with the power plant a few decades ago and they have been substituting whenever the power plant operator is on holidays. When the power plant operator was leaving town, through resignation, the competition was issued but the competition was issued within the corporation's offices only. It was not in the public notice. Those two qualified operators from Pond Inlet never had an opportunity to apply. Instead the Power Corporation hired someone from Iqaluit who isn't of aboriginal descent. In fact, he was a linesman, not an operator. What I'm trying to say here is that, with the open competition, it would allow local people who are already qualified and who have worked there before, an opportunity to apply for those positions. When you keep it closed then only regional headquarters and the people from other communities can apply and not local people.

Thank you. To the motion. Madam Premier.

Mr. Chairman, sometimes it's a particular situation and an overall recommendation is put in place because there are one or two situations you're trying to address. We move aboriginal employees into other communities without competition as an opportunity. Sometimes you have a person that wants to go to another community and take advantage of an opportunity. For example, we've taken an aboriginal person and moved into a position in Iqaluit, for ongoing training. If you're working in the corporation at the community level and they want to advance, they want to go some place else, or they want to try another community, I hope the motion is not suggesting that this couldn't be done. Thank you.

Thank you. To the motion. Mr. Arvaluk.

(microphone off) we are not trying to do that. All we're trying to say is that if the position is open in Pond Inlet, Pond Inlet qualified operators should also be given an opportunity, not just the Power Corporation employees who are out of town.

Thank you. To the motion. Madam Premier.

Mr. Speaker, I know this is just a recommendation but I think it would be highly unfair for an individual who's working in Rankin Inlet and there's an opening in another power plant, for us to day that person cannot be advanced, trained or transferred because that person's already working in that particular profession. Thank you.

Thank you. To the motion. Clarification, Mr. Arvaluk.

Mr. Chairman, perhaps if recommendation eight is read as part of the recommendation seven, it's more or less an insurance for recommendation seven -- to practice affirmative action. Recommendation eight's interpretation is

similar to that of recommendation seven.

Thank you. To the motion. Madam Premier.